This invention relates to tongue extenders for boat trailers. A tongue extender is attached to the tongue of a boat trailer as a first step in launching the boat. This allows the vehicle that is backing the trailer into the water to keep back from the uncertain ground near the water's edge.
Tongue extenders are distinguished from extendible trailer tongues in that the latter are a permanent part of the trailer and bear the burden of highway safety requirements and regulations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,782 shows a typical extendible trailer tongue.
Tongue extenders are distinguished from tow bars in that the latter pivot at both ends, while the tongue extender is a rigid extension of the trailer tongue rotatably connected only at the end attached to the towing vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,497,234 shows a typical tow bar. The superiority of tongue extenders comes in the improved control of trailer direction when backing the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,336 shows the art in tongue extenders. There are many moving parts with attendant high cost, low reliablity, and complex handling. Many of these moving parts are associated with the variable length of the extender. This variable length feature is not worth the disadvantages. An extender length of 2.6 meters is effective for the purpose and, at that length, can be easily carried on the boat trailer.
A most important characteristic of a tongue extender is its ease of installation. The prior art requires the fastening of a plurality of bolts and a pin each time the extender is attached, with the same effort required each time it is removed. Tools are required, the bolts may be rusty, and the pins may be lost.